Insight and Ideas

2018 is here! Happy New Year! I am excited to post an astrological synopsis of the year ahead with some teasers about what energy each transit might bring. This is meant to be a fun and positive take on these planetary transits. Please feel free to add your own interpretations and ask questions, too! I am putting these in order of when they occur by time and not by importance of each transit. # 1 (a) Saturn in Capricorn - Happening NOWSaturn made his ingress into Capricorn at the end of last year on December 21, 2017 and will remain in Capricorn through December 2020. Many astrologers are excited about this because Capricorn is the home sign of Saturn and can be the most effective here. One thing to remember is that Saturn loves hard work so if you are willing to work hard and build on your dreams of the past few years (when Saturn was in Sagittarius) then you should be at peace with Saturn. If you have any planets in Capricorn I wouldn’t be surprised if you aren’t already feeling the effects of Saturn. I have some and am definitely feeling it already here!Advice: Be practical. Stay grounded. Build. Set goals and take real steps to meet them. If you aren’t living up to your potential now is the time to step up and embrace your true and authentic self. Avoid: Becoming too set in your ways. Focusing too hard on work without making room for balance in your life as a while. Forgetting to have fun: all work and no play makes even Saturn a dull boy. Laziness. Lack of discipline.#1 (b) Saturn approaching Pluto in Capricorn - Happening NOWPluto entered Capricorn in 2008 and we all hopefully remember that was when the economy fell apart like a row of dominos starting with the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Saturn and Pluto don’t actually meet in Capricorn until 2020 but as these two strong energies are both in the same signs we may start feeling some rumbles similar to what we experienced after the economic crisis that kicked off in 2008. This will strongly affect governments, businesses and the world economy which of course in turn affects each of us individually.Advice: Live within your means. Save an emergency fund. Be responsible. Live with integrity. Strive to be someone that you admire and respect. Be patient. Persevere.Avoid: Not having a plan: Saturn and Pluto might have the power to destroy all of our careful plans but we are better off making a plan and having to make adjustments than to have no plan at all. Since Capricorn is a sign that focuses on building the future you should have a clear idea of where you are heading too.#2 Jupiter trine Neptune - Happening NOW with exact dates of Dec 2 2017, May 25 2018, and Aug 19, 2018ANDJupiter sextile Pluto - ongoing with exact dates of Jan 15 2018, April 14 2018, and Sept 12 2018These ongoing positive aspects from Jupiter to both Neptune and Pluto and incredibly helpful this year. Jupiter is known as the “great benefic” which really means he is a nice guy who brings gifts and helps to make you feel lucky and “on”. When Jupiter and Neptune connect the energy is incredibly spiritual so we have this growth of belief, a growth in religious activity, a growth in spiritual pursuits. Faith becomes a tangible thing in people’s lives, as it should be.With Jupiter and Pluto the energy is a bit different. We have a growth in power, a growth in change, a growth in wealth and investments. We may see some hidden things come out into the open (think of all the sexual harassment claims that have made the news recently). On a personal level we may have to deal with the skeletons in our closets but this makes us stronger and more empowered individuals.Advice: Have faith. Figure out what you believe in. Invest in your dreams. Let go of past life events that are holding you back from moving forward. Believe in yourself. Believe that you are connected to a higher power. Forgive.Avoid: Power struggles. Holding grudges. Fear.#3 All planets direct - January 2 through March 8It’s quite rare to have all planets moving in forward direction and what it means is: All systems go! Full steam ahead! I love this for the new year. Even if you aren’t making formal resolutions it is a great time of year to look at your goals and reignite that focus. And this planetary energy completely supports making progress on your goals. Work it! It makes me feel that this is the year! We can get a jump start these first few months to truly achieve significant headway.Advice: Set goals and then work toward them. Do something every day that brings you closer to your destination. Take action. Move your body. Exercise your mind.Avoid: Procrastination: momentum is actually easier to achieve right now than normally so use this amazing energy to get up and get moving toward the life you envision. Time to make some magic, people! #4 Leo/Aquarius eclipses - Jan 31st & Feb 15th and again July 27th and Aug 11thYou should know I love love love eclipse season. Every year we have two separate eclipse seasons and this year the first season occurs in the signs of Leo and Aquarius.

Jan 31 - Full Moon Lunar Eclipse - 12 Leo

Feb 15 - New Moon Solar Eclipse - 28 Aquarius

July 27 - Full Moon Lunar Eclipse - 5 Aquarius

Aug 11 - New Moon Solar Eclipse - 19 Leo

Note: we have one more solar eclipse on July 12 at 21 Cancer that kicks off the summer eclipse season but this is addressed as a separate item in my list.Historically eclipses get something of a bad rap but really they are powerful infusions of energy that allow us to make significant change in our lives. I think why people in the past disliked them is because if we resist change, or if we refuse it, that energy that invites change to happen in our lives becomes difficult to handle because we are fighting against it. With that in mind allow yourself to look at your own life and see where you are ready for change or perhaps where you are being pushed to change.The Leo/Aquarius axis is about the one versus the many. The self versus the community. The ego versus the superego. A question to ask yourself at this time is: Are my personal interests aligned with the good of everyone involved? You can use that question to steer yourself in the direction appropriate for this energy.Please note that the July 27th eclipse is particularly powerful … I might even say incendiary. The energy with that eclipse is incredibly powerful as it is conjunct Mars and square Uranus. Even if you don’t know any astro-speak let me say that this means there is a huge potential for rebellious, even dangerous energy on this day. I don’t say this to cause any fear. I say this so you can be cautious about what you are involved with on this day. We could see protests, violence, or some other surprising event that is also shocking. In terms of personal life it is a day to watch out for arguments and to take care driving … people will be more likely to overreact and if you are wise and keep this in mind you can better handle yourself and your relationships instead of allowing yourself to get carried away with the energy. It’s a good day to go to your martial arts training class and work out your aggression there!Advice: Balance the needs of yourself with the needs of your larger community whether that is your family, friends, work, groups or anywhere that you are interacting with others on a regular basis.Avoid: Refusing to change or thinking that you know best in all cases. Many of us (myself included) can be know-it-alls at times but we also need to be open to new ideas and other perspectives on life. We don’t know what we don’t know.#5 Chiron ingress into Aries - April 2018If you aren’t familiar with Chiron he is, astronomically, a minor planet between Saturn and Uranus first discovered in 1977. Mythologically he is a centaur known for his wisdom and teachings. In astrology he is referred to as the “wounded healer” and he represents that part of us that is injured and then also becomes a great source of strength and wisdom which we can use to heal ourselves and others. Chiron will not make his final exit from Aries until 2026 so this energy will be with us for quite a few years to come.Aries is the first sign of the zodiac with the key words “I AM”. With Chiron entering this sign our right to be individuals, to follow our own paths, to live life on our own terms is tested. If you lack self esteem this is a beautiful time to explore that and heal from the wounds that cause any self-doubt. On a global scale I do think he will be pioneering new healing techniques and remedies, and individually may explore these in our own lives as well.Advice: Be yourself. Blaze your own path. Venture into the wounds you may carry and bravely face them in order to claim ownership and the wisdom that comes from healing.Avoid: Running away: Aries loves adventure but sometimes it is easier to look at problems and hurts outside ourselves instead of dealing with what might pain us on the inside.#6 Uranus ingress into Taurus - May 2018Just when you thought things couldn’t couldn’t get crazier Uranus makes an ingress into the sign of Taurus in May 2018 He remains in Taurus until 2026 (except for a brief dip back into Aries later this year). When planets change signs we often feel their impact quite strongly and I expect that to be the case with the energy here!Taurus is a fixed sign known for its comforts. Uranus in Taurus will certainly make us all uncomfortable! You may find that things you have done for years no longer work for you. Habits, rituals, or anything you do in your daily life might be getting a shake up so get ready! There is also some speculation that Uranus in Taurus could impact the way we handle money. We may find that traditional banking methods or the ways currencies are handled might get modernized under this influence. With that in mind it is important to look to see if there are better ways to handle your own money. And remember, just because something is new doesn’t necessarily mean it is better (although Uranus might disagree!). Additional I expect there to be something of a food revolution under this influence as well so we may see some disruptions in food markets either from the supply side or the demand side of things. If you have any planets in Taurus or any planets at the early degrees of other fixed signs you will be especially sensitive to this energy this year.Advice: Be ready to let go of habits or patterns in your life that you have outgrown; Uranus will not accept the status quo just because it is the way things have been done forever. Be creative; the sign of Taurus is artistic by nature and Uranus is inventive so this combination can spark so really interesting new trends.Avoid: Being too set in your ways; when we resist inevitable change we make our lives harder. Try to be open minded about the way you live your life and consider new ideas for the way you live. #7 Mars Rx in Aquarius - June 26 through August 27It has been a long time since Mars went retrograde in Aquarius (since the early 1970’s) and we are likely to see and feel some strife in terms of lack of humanitarian progress and also with regards to regional conflicts (think Vietnam War era style protests). Often when Mars is retrograde in any sign we feel like we are spinning our wheels and suddenly even the most patient people may become intolerant and temperamental. The best way to handle this is to do a thorough review of what you have been working toward in your life and see if you can improve upon your techniques in any areas. Anger may also become an issue, even for people who normally don’t have to deal with anger issues. How to appropriately channel our angel is a theme here … since Mars will be retrograde will may be channeling it internally which can increase stress and negative self-talk. Finding productive methods to handle this becomes key whether it is through self-defense classes, exercise, debate, cooking, gardening or other solutions you have discovered.Advice: Stay calm. Defend when necessary. Channel anger and/or stress appropriately so it does not build up inside. Get involved with a larger cause.Avoid: Violence. Acting out of anger. Letting impatience get the better of you. Allowing yourself to indulge in temperamental behavior.#8 Solar Eclipse opposite Pluto - July 12As I mentioned above eclipses are powerful infusions of energy and this eclipse stands out in terms of possible impact. It occurs in the sign of Cancer with Pluto in Capricorn strong opposite the eclipse point.Cancer is about family, the home, intuition, protecting the people and things and ideals that we love. With Pluto opposing the eclipse we may feel like some or all of these things are being threatened. Many astrologers are pointing to this eclipse as one which could have significant global consequences. I like to focus on what we can do personally, here and now, and with this influence we have the opportunity to fight for what we believe. The powerful intuitive implications of this eclipse also provide the opportunity for great personal insight and transformation if you are willing to go there. If you are unwilling you may find yourself being forced into a situation where you feel coerced into making some significant changes in your life. The area where these changes occur is based on where this eclipse falls in your chart, what house it occurs in and what planets and points it activates.Advice: Be ready to change. Stand up for the things you believe.Avoid: Conflict that could be dangerous. Practice the art of disagreeing civilly because you can be certain if you feel like your beliefs are threatened there will be someone on the opposite side who believes your beliefs threaten them, too.#9 Jupiter into Sag - November 2018Sagittarius is the home sign of Jupiter (simpar to Capricorn being the home sign of Saturn) so many look forward to a powerful Jupiter transit through his home sign from November 2018 through December 2019.Here we have a return of hope. A return of belief. A renaissance of faith. Inspiration. The combination of Jupiter in Sagittarius plus Saturn in Capricorn will be amazing for manifestation: we dream it and then we do what it takes to make it real.Advice: Dream big. Manifest. Travel. Study. Believe.Avoid: Overdoing it … Jupiter can get us into trouble sometimes when we go overboard!I would love to hear your feedback, questions and insights on what 2018 holds for you! I am posting this later than I would like but I am going to do it anyway! I can only say that Saturn has me under his power right now and when we feel Saturn we often take longer to complete things than planned but with perseverance, which Saturn loves to see, we will get through! Happy New Year! May 2018 bring you joy of heart, wealth of spirit, and peace of mind.